Assorted Links Monday

How workers gained an edge: and why they won’t lose it soon.

Is this another tech bubble bursting? And should you, a normal person, care?

Big bottle - the baby formula nightmare: This is a true crisis that is a long-time coming. Thank the baby formula monopoly, its partner at the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture.

The abundance choice (or, why California is dying of thirst): Water is the foundation of civilization. It is absurd that Californians, living in the wealthiest and most innovative place on earth, cannot design abundance into their water infrastructure.

In October and again in December, as the third severe drought this century was entering its third year, not one but two atmospheric rivers struck California. These two storm systems dumped torrents of rain with historic intensity. More than 100 million acre-feet of water poured out of the skies, into the rivers . . . and out to sea. Almost none of it was captured by reservoirs or diverted into aquifers.

Nations aim to secure supply chains by turning offshoring into ‘friend-shoring’: U.S. officials and allies around the world are looking to establish friendly supply routes for key goods amid a war and global pandemic.

Where do most US state names come from?

Why a small candy company is Warren Buffett’s ‘dream’ investment: The story of See’s Candies reminds us of the importance of consistency, quality, and long-term growth in investing.

Speaking of candy: Tootsie Roll could pause production lines due to delayed supplier deliveries.

Automating road maintenance with LiDAR technology:

From advanced manufacturing to automated vehicles, engineers are using LiDAR to change the world as we know it. For the second year, students from across the country submitted projects to SICK's annual TiM$10K Challenge.

The first place team during the 2020 TiM$10K Challenge hails from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. The team took first place in the 2020 TiM$10K Challenge with their project titled ROADGNAR, a mobile and autonomous pavement quality data collection system.

LinkedIn updates feed algorithm to downrank engagement-baiting posts and polls: These will no doubt be welcome changes for many LinkedIn users. I mean, the polls were getting pretty crazy, and engagement baiting on any platform is always a bit needy.

On-shoring going global: The world has an increasingly negative view of China.

The world's biggest shipping hubs are mostly in China: But for how long?

Gas prices keep going up, and up:

The Florida orange crop report is out: